Objective To assess the feasibility of using biodegradable poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffold with controlled release of rhBMP-2 and its effect on the osteogenic activity of MSCs in vitro. Methods The PLGA scaffolds with rhBMP-2 sustained release system were made by combination of porogen-leaching and freeze-drying. The drug release kinetics was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in vitro. MSCs were isolated from the bone marrow of human and cultured for 3 passages. Then, MSCs were seeded onto PLGA scaffolds. PLGA scaffolds without rhBMP-2 were used as experimental controls . Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) was used to observe the morphology of MSCs. The cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay. Results The rhBMP-2 was encapsulated into PLGA scaffolds and it was found to be continuously released from the scaffolds. The scaffolds have evident enhancing effect on ectopia osteogenesis. Conclusion PLGA scaffold containing rhBMP-2 is a new promising tissue engineering scaffold.